KARACHI: Customs Appraisement South comprising MCC Appraisement East, MCC Appraisement West and MCC Port Qasim have put all consignments coming from Jebel Ali on red channel.
The step was taken in view of gross misuse of green channel facility. Now none of the consignment coming from Jebel Ali will be cleared through the green channel.
Anti Smuggling Organization of MCC Preventive has seized six containers which were cleared from green channel as declared to be scrap, but were found to contain betel nuts.
The consignment was imported by M/s City Steel UAE Pvt Ltd from Jebel Ali and declared to be scrap under PCT 7204. The consignment comprising 14 containers was cleared from green channel at MCC Port Qasim and was gated out.
However, Collector Dr. Iftikhar passed on the information through Additional Collector Aamir Them to Deputy Collector Mohammad Faisal that the goods were mis-declared.
ASO Preventive stopped these container after gate out from MCC Port Qasima dn upon examination these were found to be betel nuts as against the declared scrap.
As many as six containers have been seized while search is underway to find and seize the remaining containers.
it may be mentioned here that around two hundred containers of betel nuts are stuck at ports as Ministry of Commerce amended Import Policy Order and linked clearance of betel nuts among other things with certain quarantine and plant protection certificates.
Due to the non clearance of betel nuts, its prices have surged from Rs500/kg to Rs3000/kg.